A remake of Vittalacharya’s decades-old hit of the same name, 'Jaganmohini' has Namitha re-essaying the role played by Jayamalini in the earlier version. A period film, it has princes and sorcerers, and magic and special effects galore.
The characters are colourful. There is Jagan, a noble prince (Raja), who is loved by his beautiful cousin Azhagu (Nila), but falls for the sensuous fisher woman Mohini. He encounters her when he’s on a mission to the island to capture a pirate chief. Then there is Indrajit, the ambitious wayward prince who aspires to be the ruler of the 23 islands around. His greed makes him a willing pawn in the hands of the evil sorcerer (Kota). The sorcerer’s age-old desire to be omnipotent and invincible could bear fruit only with the blessings of the Goddess. And for this he has to sacrifice a male virgin at her altar. He zeroes in on Jagan, with Indrajit who would do the deed for the benefits promised. And lastly, there is Mohini who is, killed for her love, but returns to claim it. And she doesn’t have it easy, with the sorcerer and Azhagu out to thwart her every move to achieve her aim.
The cast, most of it is a lackluster one. Watching Namitha and her seductive act for some time is fine. But it becomes a tad monotonous watching her through out, with not much variation in her act. Vadivelu roams around looking quite lost, his comic antics a let down. But enjoyable is the scene where he watches himself being turned into a skeleton. Another interesting part is the one where a ghostly tree advances towards the sorcerer and entangles him in its grip.
However with all the technical advancement over the years since the earlier version, one expects the special effects to be of a much higher quality and provide more thrill and fun.